SNOW HILL — Candy was the order of the day for many children watching the Snow Hill Christmas parade on Saturday afternoon.
Getting handfuls of the sweet treats was the favorite part for Jahquez Newton, 9, of Snow Hill and Nakiya Johnson, 7, of Walstonburg.
“It’s fun because they throw out the candy and all that stuff,” Nakiya said.
The parade, which was likely shorter than last year’s because of morning rain, featured several fire departments, EMS and the Army National Guard trucks blowing their horns.
“My favorite thing when the parade comes,” Nakiya said, “is they make loud noises.”
Caleb Tilghman, 9, of Arba, has always rode on the Arba fire truck with his uncle, but this year he stood on the sidelines downtown with his mother so he could watch the parade go by.
“I like throwing stuff,” Caleb said about his previous candy-throwing job up high in the fire truck.
Elizabeth Lopergolo, 9, of Bull Head, was watching with her family in front of her mother’s flower shop as two horses side-stepped down Greene Street.
“My aunt Laura likes horses and I do, too,” she said.
Some of the highlights of the parade, which was led by the Greene Central High School JROTC color guard, were the Greene Central Hifh School Marching Band, Cub Scout Pack 162, Greene County Girl Scouts, Greene Lamp Head Start, 4-H and Caswell Developmental Center.
Erika Desiderio, 16, of Snow Hill, was working at the Greene Early College High School booth selling hot chocolate and treats. She said she liked the horses, too.
“It was short,” she said about the parade, “but there was a lot of people, and I didn’t think there would be because it was cold.”
Cruz Alarcon, 16, of Snow Hill, was also working at the booth — a job he said is important because the money raised helps the community. Last year, the money was used to purchase a dog for a child who suffered from a medical condition.
Alarcon and Desiderio said they didn’t know for what this year’s funds will be used.
“I know it will be something that will bring me joy knowing that I helped somebody,” he said.
Margaret Fisher can be reached at 252-559-1082 or Margaret.Fisher@Kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @MargaretFishr.